Boyhood dreams inspired by the sleek motor launches and yachts passing by his eastern Michigan home on the St. Clair River during the Roaring Twenties must have sent ripples of excitement through young Nelson Zimmer. Years later, as a naval architect, Zimmer recalled the lovely lines of the vessels from his youth when he designed his 21' 3" utility launch (see WoodenBoat No. 43)—a throwback to the prosperous days of bathtub gin, jazz, Henry Ford’s Model T, and Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight.Standing on the pier at the Great Lakes Boat Building School (GLBBS) in Cedarville, Michigan, located on the Upper Peninsula’s southeastern shore, a newly built Zimmer utility launch is secured alongside, waiting for sea trials among Les Cheneaux Islands—French meaning “The Channel Islands”—in northern Lake Huron. She has a comely shape and a graceful sheer, which is accented by white-painted topsides and a bright transom and deck. Interior surfaces are also finished bright. The Zimmer utility launch, designed by Great Lakes area designer Nelson Zimmer, can comfortably carry six to eight passengers. At the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, Michigan, instructor Pat Mahon and students built this launch over the course of a year.
Photo by George D. Jepson
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Nice electric version of the Zimmer. Beautifully built. I have an open model with center console that was built in Maine around 18 years ago. Traditional white cedar on white oak, with canvas-looking side and forward and aft decks. Incredibly seaworthy. It has weathered a couple of powerful inland lake thunderstorms and 4-5’ heavy chop.
It has a 3 cyl 27 hp yanmar that uses .75 quart per hour @ 6.5 Kts. With a 10 gallon tank it’s got a great range. I’m thinking to launch it at the Tappan Zee Bridge and run it up the Hudson to Buffalo, NY. The Yanmar probably weighs less than the electric motor and heavy battery banks. And that is aside from the recharging issues for “ voyaging.”
The floor is wide and flat for camping etc. The little motor box a perfect table or seat.
I outfitted the boat with a collapsing dodger inspired by the photo of an original design with added dodger. My dodger was designed to take additional enclosing canvas and/or a mosquito net.
It’s easily trailerable. The only issue with this design is the outboard sailboat-type rudder. It does not interact with the prop the way a typical inboard does with rudder underneath. Thus it has a large turning radius and cannot be skidded/prop-walked to a dock except with a long run alongside or the use of a midship spring line. It does back up very well with way on. It steers a straight course with ease in open water. It will take a lot of practice to effect an easy looking landing.
In a separate email Andy sent in these pictures of his Zimmer Utility Launch
Sweet…..I could just see myself or Mr Zimmer and friends gunkholing around on a beautiful day. Maybe cutting the engine and drifting. Throwing lines overboard but hoping you don’t catch anything which means you’d have to clean them, etc… Maybe go back to the craze of the 1970s and bring out a fondue pot and some wine…. Some folks may look, wonder what good this boat is for?…Many of us look and see a perfect boat. A perfect boat which is meant to be enjoyed.
I purchased the complete set of construction drawings from Nelson in the early 1980’s. During that period, he was kind enough to respond to questions and in one instance provided a cut list of all materials needed to complete the vessel. Life and career intervened in the ensuing years, but often did I unpack the drawings and read his correspondence with an eye to “perhaps next year”.
The GLBBS students and instructor did an outstanding job on this one and the electric propulsion is very intriguing.
You know, I may have seen (and photographed, see attached) this very boat at the Hessel Marina back on 03 July 2013. She had acquired a name on her transom by then.
I’d been “cruising” the Les Cheneaux Islands with a couple of grandsons in our Menger 19 catboat for about a week and a half. We were tied up at a slip, having spent our last night at the marina, and I spotted her from the catboat’s cockpit as I was getting the boat ready to haul out that day. I knew right away it was the Zimmer design from WoodenBoat, even more lovely seen in three dimensions.